Flat knitting frame



March 7, 1939. w WELKER 2,149,986

- FLAT KNITTING FRAME Filed Feb. 1, 1938 fig. 7.

W/LL/AM WEL KER Patented Mar. 1939 UNl'lED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application February 1,

1938", Serial No. 188,021

In-Germany February 2, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a fiat knitting frame provided with narrowers for varying the width of the fabric and with picot bars for patterning over the entire width of the needle bar.

5 Manufacturers aim at perfecting existing legging machines so as to render them' capable of working the foot onto the leg in one operation and thus to dispense with special footing ma chines. For this purpose a legging machine is 10 provided with a special narrowing mechanism,

as the production of the toe requires four narrowers and ordinary legging machines have only two. The arrangement of additional narrowers involves difficulties if the machine possesses picot 15 bars which pattern over the entire width of the needle bar and are just as wide as the latter, so that during operation the four narrowers of each section must be pushed out laterally, two to one side and two to the other. As a rule, a section 26 has not room enough for such operations, since it is equipped merely for taking up two narrowers, one on each side outside the range of the needle bar. I a

To overcome this difficulty it has been pro posed to arrange the broad foot ,narrowers of 25 such machines so as to be movable above the section and in such manner that theycan exchange position with the small narrowers. During operation of the picot bar corresponding in width to that of the needle bar thesmall narrowers, which are always located inside, are then pushed outwardly where they find sufficient space while the inwardly moved broad narrowers are swung upwardly. According to another known proposal the four narrowers are left in the sec- 35 tion during working of the picot bar but are temporarily slightly swung back in the direction of I the presser bar. Both propositions provide for a swinging arrangement of the narrowers, which is open to the objection that it interferes wi safety in operation.

It is the'object of the invention to eliminate this drawback, by making the picot bar narrower than the needle bar, the picot bar being widened in use by the narrowers disposed on its sides and 45 the non-patterning frame needles within range of these narrowers being not engaged by the latter. I

The invention can be applied also to new machines, in which the width of the section can be 0 reduced from the start. 7

By way of example, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the narrowing mechanism of a section and Fig. 2, a side view thereof.

Each section of the flat knitting frame is fitted with the narrowers I, 2, 3, 4 for varying the width of the fabric and with a picot bar which servesfor patterning over the whole width of the needie bar 6. The four narrowers I, 2, 3, 4 comprise the two ,large narrowing fingers I, 4 and the two small narrowing fingers 2, 3 the finger 2 being covered by other machine parts. According to the invention, the picot bar 5 is narrower than the needle bar .6, as indicated in Fig. 1, and therefore unable to pattern over the entire width of the needle bar'fi. To make full width patteming possible the narrowers I, 2, 3, 4 are placed 1 on the sides of the picot .bar 5 during operation which is thus correspondingly widened. However, as the picot bar 5 unlike the narrowers I,

2, 3, 4 is not fully equipped with covering needles, it is necessary to prevent the engagement of some of the frame needles located within range of the narrowers I, 2, 3, 4 by some of these narrowers. This can be done in various ways.

For example, the particular frame needles con- .cerned may be bent in forward direction by pressure means, etc. engaging their stems. In the construction shown the members 1, 8 take over this function. They have the form of covering blades of the type used in known foot narrowing devices and are correspondingly applied,v as shown in Fig. 2. In this instance, the members I, 8 are not fully toothed but only to the extent of the equipment of the picot bar 5 with covering needles, as indicated on member 1 in Fig. 1. The members I, 8 are further arranged on the same lace rod 9 as the picot bar 5, though they may of course be secured also to a separate rod. As indicated in the drawing, the large narrowing fingers I, 4 are to be used only partly for supplementing the picot bar 5. It is also possible of course to shorten the picot bar'i so that the large fingers I, 4 are used for patterning with their full width.

I claim:.

1. A flat knitting frame for patterning over the entire width of the needle her, said frame being provided with narrowers for varying the width of the fabric and with picot bars in which the picot bar is narrower than the needle bar and is widened in use by the narrowers disposed on its sides, the non-patterning frame needles within range of the narrowers being not engaged by the latter. I

2. A flat knitting frame according to claim 1, wherein the non-patterning frame needles facing the narrowers are held back by toothed members having the shape of covering blades.

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